Hershey, Pennsylvania
New York, New YorkBeijing, China
A Service-Learning Study on Students' Perceptions of Using WhatsApp as a Language Learning Tool

A Service-Learning Study on Students' Perceptions of Using WhatsApp as a Language Learning Tool

Yiping Zhang (University of Rhode Island, USA)
Copyright: © 2023 |Pages: 19
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-6533-2.ch008
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Abstract

This chapter is a reflection of the author's service-learning (SL) experience as a graduate student as well as a faculty member practicing SL in the department of language at a northeastern university. In this chapter, the author mainly focuses on the experience and learning in the SL course and how SL project research focusing on students' perception of using WhatsApp as a language learning tool shaped the author's teaching and research in the Chinese language teaching and learning community. Findings from this study can then be utilized to help the Chinese language teaching community reflect on their teaching and consider ways of adjusting their use of technology in classroom instruction to engage their students actively. As an SL project, these efforts will contribute to developing effective teaching strategies in the Chinese language learning community.
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Background

I will present my positionality as a doctoral student and faculty member in the department of languages as well as my research interest. It is followed by a documentation of my understanding and reflection on the meaning-making journey of SL. The last part provides a detailed description of the SL project I implemented.

My Positionality

As a doctoral student and relatively new faculty member in the language department of the researched university, I have been eager to learn more about teaching Chinese as a second language. To this end, I have participated in numerous workshops and conferences to gain theoretical insights and enhance my knowledge. After almost four years in this position, I realized that I could do much more than simply focus on my own teaching and learning. With exposure to SL, I discovered that teaching could be a means of serving the teaching and learning community. In particular, I found an SL project that supports reciprocity and mutual benefit for myself as a teacher, my students, and my program. Through this project, I could enhance my teaching skills while providing my students with better learning experiences. Additionally, this project may provide a new perspective for the Chinese program to reflect on.

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